Herald Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR – Caritas Indonesia and Caritas Malaysia have entered into a pioneering Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen protection, accompaniment, and empowerment of Indonesian migrants in Malaysia.
The agreement was signed on Sep 3 at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Centre, formalising a collaborative framework between the two Caritas organisations.
The initiative was first proposed by Fr Fredy Rante Taruk, Executive Director of Caritas Indonesia, who has consistently voiced the Indonesian Church’s concern for its citizens working abroad. While both Churches have long provided pastoral and humanitarian accompaniment to Indonesian migrants, the MoU now offers a structured platform for greater effectiveness and collaboration.
The signing followed an online consultation on Aug 5 this year, involving groups from both countries, including members of the Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Itinerants (ECMI), pastoral workers, and priests engaged in migrant ministry. Grounded in listening and reflection, the session paved the way for this bilateral agreement. Although the MoU does not formally assign roles to commissions, ECMI continues to serve as the lead commission on migration in Malaysia. Caritas Malaysia, with its extensive networks, will coordinate the collaboration, drawing in other stakeholders and partners. This approach reflects the late Pope Francis’ vision of a Church that “journeys together” in solidarity with the most vulnerable.
Behind the numbers of Indonesian labour migration to Malaysia lie stark human realities ? undocumented workers, families without legal identity papers, stateless children, migrants dying far from home, and communities often facing exploitation or criminalisation.
To respond to these challenges, the MoU commits both Caritas bodies to:
• Strengthen pastoral and humanitarian services, including documentation, dignified repatriation of remains, and spiritual care.
• Promote joint advocacy for humane and inclusive migration policies, particularly for stateless children.
• Enhance cross-diocesan coordination, communication, and referral systems.
• Facilitate exchange of good practices and learning across dioceses.
• Appoint focal points within each organisation to ensure consistent follow up.
The partnership, Church leaders emphasised, is not merely administrative but rooted in the conviction that migrants are not “problems” to be solved but brothers and sisters who bear the face of Christ. Catholic Social Teaching affirms that human dignity and solidarity underpin all pastoral and humanitarian action.
Quoting Pope Francis, the statement recalled that migration should be a free choice, not the product of poverty, exploitation, or despair. Through this MoU, Caritas Indonesia and Caritas Malaysia reaffirm the Church’s prophetic role in defending the dignity of migrants, and in working for justice, compassion, and hope across borders. – Herald Malaysia
